Material handling mechanism



y 1935- N. D. LEVIN MATERIAL HANDLING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledMay 16, 1933 E 68 ea 3 5 [NI/ENTOE.

- Nnj D. LEWN.

afia/L.

5 K73 .W em m. qL

July 14, 1936. N. D. LEVIN MATERIAL HANDLING MECHANISM Filed May 16,1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATT'Y y 1936- N, D. LEVIN V MATERIAL HANDLINGMECHANISM Filed May 16, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 July 14, 1936. N. LEVIN I2,047,589

MATERIAL HANDLING MECHANISM v Filed May 16, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 4f/l/Vf/VTOP.

Nms D. LEVlN. adg. 714.71%,

July 14, 1936. N. D. LEVIN MATERIAL HANDLING MECHANI SM 1933Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 16, MR 2'1 f/vz/f/vroe:

NHj D. LEVIN,

BY M. Ma,

Patented July 14, 1936 MATERIAL HANDLING MECHANISM Nils n. Levin,Columbus, Ohio, assignor to The.

Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Ohio Application May 16,1933, Serial No. 671,375

33 Claims.

In material handling operations, illustrated, for example, in coalmining, there are frequently employed machines comprising gathering andloading devices for the purpose of loading coal from the face of a mineworking and to deposit such coal into mine cars, by means of which thecoal may be quickly removed from the mine.

Such machines embrace, generally, a substantially horizontal conveyorsection which has its delivery end arranged above the receiving end of adischarge or rear conveyor, the latter being supported for pivotalmovement about a vertical axis at its receiving end. The draft devicesof each conveyor travel between side walls,

a gap being left between the side walls of the two conveyors in order topermit their pivotal adjustment. The receiving end of the secondconveyor is formed as a hopper, and there may be flexible wall elementsbetween the side wall ends of the two conveyors, these wall elementsforming side walls for the hopper and serving to prevent the loss ofmaterial therefrom and to guide the material from one conveyor to theother.

The present invention modifies the above outlined construction, aprincipal feature of the present invention being in forming the rearconveyor in two sections, pivotally interconnected, so that the rearsection may be turned in an arc relative to the other section, therebeing provided a yieldable interconnection between the walls of eachsection, this interconnection being of a highly simplified design,resulting in an easily manufactured and, consequently, a cheaper machinethan has been heretofore possible.

By virtue of the improved machine of the present invention, it ispossible to direct, easily, the flow of conveyed material to one side orthe other of the machine, thus enabling, for instance, the loading of amine car on tracks laid laterally of the machine, it being unnecessary,therefore, to

carefully aline the machine and car.

The present invention provides a machine in tail hereinafter; and theinvention will be more I readily understood by reference to the accom 6panying drawings in which: Fig. 1 represents a side elevation ofamachine embracing the present improvements;

Fig. 1a is a continuation of Fig. 1, showing the forepart of the machineof Fig. 1, the figure hav- 10 ing been divided to accommodate it to thesize of the sheet of drawings;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a part of the machine embracirigthe present improvements; v 15' Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional viewtaken generally on the line 33 of Fig. 2, the conveyor chain being shownfor clarity, in elevation;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional viewtaken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; 20

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig-'1;i

Fig, 6 is a section taken on line 6--6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a section taken on line ltofl ig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional viewtaken on 26 the center line of anintermediate section of the conveyor structure, the conveyor chain beingomitted; I

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary plan view of the front portion of the pivotedsection of the conveyor, 30 with the chain omitted;

Fig. 10 is a section on line I0lll of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view on line H-ll of Fig. 9.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 35 the improved machine isshown as comprising a gathering unit, the rear end of which is indicatedat A, adapted to discharge material onto the loading unit B, whichloading unit is provided with a horizontally adjustable section C,adapted for 40 horizontal adjustment on pivot D. The machine is mountedon a turntable E through various drive instrumentalities to 'bedescribed in more detail I hereinafter, which turntable is mounted on atruck F, provided with wheels G adapted to run 5 on a track H.

The present invention is concerned principally with the loading part ofthe mechanism, and accordingly the gathering mechanism is onlyfragmentarily shown.

The elements of the loading unit B comprise a body portion formed of aplurality of sections, certain of which are yieldably mounted andinterconnected so as to yield under the influence of vertical stressesimparted thereto, preventing,

thereby, possibility of damage. Other sections are interconnected toenable a horizontal adjustment of the delivery end of the unit, so thatthe delivery end may be swung around in a predetermined horizontal arc.

Considering in more detail the structure of the machine, it will be seenthat it comprises a bottom,'side walls forming a conveyor trough withthe bottom, and mounting devices for mounting the machine on a truck orother suitable transporting instrumentalities. The bottom slopesupwardly from where the loading unit receives the material from thegathering unit, the material being discharged from the latter into thehopper i of the loading unit. From this loading unit the bottom 2 slopesin an upwardly inclined plane until the break indicated by the line 3 inFig. 2 is reached, which break enables the vertical yielding adjustmentpreviously mentioned and hereinafter to be more fully referred to, to beaccomplished. The bottom of the machine is then continued by theupwardly curved section 4 which leads to the segment section 5. It willbe understood that the upper surfaces of these bottom sections are flushwith one another to present a smooth surface for the material beinghandled. The arcuate configuration of this segmental section 5 enablesthe swinging part C of the machine to closely engage the remainder ofthe unit while being tumable through an arc of a substantialpredetermined magnitude in order to effect the required adjustment.

Secured to the bottom plate 2 and on each side thereof are the sideplates 8, these plates being secured together in any suitable manner toform a continuous wall for retaining the material on the unit. A breakin the continuity of these side plates is indicated at 1, which-breakoccurs adjacent the break 3 in the bottom of the machine, and, ofcourse, are' for the purpose of accomplishing the vertical yieldingadjustment hereinbefore referred to.

The side walls are continued by means of plates 8 which are bentintermediate their length into the vertically upstanding parts 9 andterminate in the outwardly bent ends ill. The gaps between the plates 6and 8, which gaps break the continuity of the walls, are closed byauxiliary plates I I riveted or otherwise secured at I2 to the plates 8.Loss'of material through these gaps is thereby prevented.

To the construction described up to this point is pivoted, at D, thesection C. This section is swingable in a horizontal arc around pivot D,being carried by the pivot and by anti-friction rollers l3 traveling onan arcuate track l4 on a segmental base |5 suitably mounted on themachine beneath the bottom of the conveyor trough structurally describedabove. The rollers l3 are mounted in brackets l3a, mounted on the platesII. This section C includes the bottom I6 and side plates I'l, togetherwith plates I49 with which bottom 16 is integral, thereby forming acontinuation of the conveyor trough. The plates i! are connected by anintegral bottom web l'la. In order to permit the horizontal arcuateadjustment of the sections there must be a gap between the plates 8 andplates l1, this gap being of such a width as will enable the requiredmovement of section C to take place without restriction An importantfeature of this invention deals with improved closure instrumentalitiesfor these gaps which will enable the free movement of the section Cwhile preventing loss of material through these gaps.

2,047,:sao

These instrumentalities include parts arranged in the manner now to bedescribed. Referring to Figs. 2 and 7, it will be seen that on the endof each side plate I! of section C adjacent the bent ends it) of plates8 are suitably secured two bosses or hinge supports 20 between which aremounted, on a hinge pin I3, a hinge 2 I, which is welded or otherwisesuitably secured to a curved hinge plate 22. These hinge plates are heldin constant engagement with bent ends ill of plates 8 bycompressionsprings 23 mounted on retaining pins 24 having head portions 25 on oneend, which retaining pins are pivotally mounted in the hinges 2| bybolts 26 and the other ends of which are supported through apertures inthe brackets 21 rigidly secured to the sides II. It will be seen fromthe foregoing description that the springs 23 are compressed between thebrackets 21 and the head portion 25 of the retaining pins so that aforce will be acting to rotate the hinged plates 22 about the hinge pinsl3 to keep said plates in constant engagement with the bent ends "I inall horizontal arcuate movements of section C, thus continuously closingthe gaps between plates l1 and plates 8.

The horizontal adjustment of section C may be maintained by passing apin 28a through a socket 28 and a corresponding hole 29, there beingprovided a plurality of holes 23 in the base I, which holes are disposedconcentrically with the arc in which section C swings.

The machine embraces'also an endless conveyor chain 30, provided-withlaterally extending material engaging flights 3| integral with side bars3|a, side bars 32, and links 38 and 33. Side bars 3Ia and 32 areprovided with laterally extending lugs 33 adapted to run between guidemembers 34. The guide members 34 are provided with overhanging flanges35 projecting over the lugs 33 and between which the side bars 3la and32 of the conveyor chain pass. The side bars 32 of the chain arerecessed as indicated at 38, thus reducing the weight of the conveyorchain and also roughening the upper surface to reduce the slippage overthe chain of the material being conveyed.

The side bars 3la and 32 of the chain are connected by connecting links38 and 39 for vertical movement about horizontal pivot pins 48, and thelinks 38 and 39 are interconnected by a vertical pivot pin 4| forhorizontal pivotal movement. Thus it will be seen the chain, having bothhorizontal and vertical pivots, will adapt itself for both thehorizontal. and vertical adjustment of the machine sections.

On its return beneath the bottom of the conveyor trough of section C,the conveyor chain passes between the guides 42 and 42b, these guidesbeing in registry with each other and which have the inwardly directedflanges 43, from which flanges the conveyor chain is suspended by thelugs 33. Beneath the pivot D, the guide 42 is interrupted, thencontinues as indicated at 420., there being a gap between the guidesections 42 and 42a. In order to prevent sagging of the chain as itpasses through this gap when the conveyor chain is reversed from itsnormal travel and in order to assure the proper return of the chain intothe guide 42 or 420., there may be provided a circular abutment plate44, mounted on the base l5 by means of a cap screw 45 extending througha suitable aperture in the base l5. The plate 44 is located on thecenter of the pivot for section C and is positioned directly beneath thegap between the guides, being arranged so that the sagging conveyorchain will engage this plate in any position of section C and besupported thereby for enabling the chain to properly pass into the guide42 or 42a. The guides 42 and 42a have their chain receiving ends 45 and45a turned downwardly, somewhat, to facilitate proper entrance of thelugs 83 of the conveyor chain.

Beneath the bottom of the curved section 4 and the segmental section 5are placed reinforcing plates 4a, 4b, and 5a and 5b, respectively, whichextend sufliciently far beneath the bottom parts 4 and 5 in eitherdirection from the pivot D to prevent buckling of the bottom parts underthe weight of the material being conveyed therealong, together with theweight of the overhangture heretofore set forth is turnably mountedaround a vertical axis by being mounted on the turntable E as previouslydescribed. This turntable comprises a frame 41 upon which the conveyormechanism and driving instrumentalities are mounted, the mounting of theformer being accomplished through suitable means including the sideplates 48.

Power for driving is supplied by a motor 49 which continuously rotates asprocket 58 fixed on the armature shaft 5 I. By means of a sprocketchain- 52 engaging the teeth of the sprocket 58, and the teeth of aspeed reducing sprocket 53 fixedly mounted on a shaft 54, this shaft iscontinuously rotated. The other end of shaft 54 is provided with asprocket not shown, which in turn drives sprocket 55, through suitablein-' strumentalities, sprocket 55 being bushed with a sleeve 55 freelyrotatably mounted on shaft 51. Shaft 51 is suitably journalled in theframe 41 of the turntable in bearings I34. Power is transmitted to theshaft 51 by means of a suitable clutch device 58, the element 580. ofwhich is slidably keyed to the shaft 51 by means of a key 59 fixed in aslot'in the shaft. Operation of the clutch element 58a to engage it withthe cooperating rotating jaw 58 integral with the sprocket 55, effectsrotation of the shaft 51. Fixedly keyed on shaft 51 is the sprocket 5|,the teeth 52 of which engage the links of the con veyor chain to drivethis chain.

A sprocket 53 integral with sprocket 55 and also bushed with sleeve 55drives, by means of chain 64, a. sprocket 55 keyed at 66 to shaft 61,thereby rotating this shaft, and transmitting rotation to clutch element68a of clutch 58, element 58a being slidably keyed, as indicated at 59,to shaft 51, mounted in bearings 51a and 81b secured to the side plates47a of frame 41.

Loosely mounted on shaft 51 is a sleeve 18, carrying a pocket sheave H,the sleeve and sheave being held in proper position on the shaft betweena spacer 12 and a collar 13. sheave 1I is actuated by engagement of therotating clutch element 68a with jaws 1Ia of clutch 68, the jaws beingintegral with one side of said sheave.

Passing over the sheave II is a universally flexible chain '14, thischain being an endless chain looped over the sheave H and passeddownwardly substantially through the pivotal center of the turntable andin opposite directions around sheaves 15 and 15, each of which ismounted on a shaft 11 supported in cooperating angle brackets 18 and I9riveted or otherwise secured at 88 to shafts 85 and 85, carrying thetruck wheels G. 5

On the shaft 85 and 88 are sheaves 81 and 88 over which the chain 14passes for propelling the mechanism along track H.

The chain 52 is guided over a sheave 89 mounted on a side plate 41a ofthe turntable structure 41. Keyed to the right-handend of the shaft 51(as viewed in Fig. 5) is the male portion 9Ia of a cone clutch 9I, thefemale portion 92 of which clutch constitutes a conical flange integralwith one end of a rope drum 93. At the other end of the rope drum andintegral with the side wall thereof is a cylindrical flange 94,surrounded by a brake band H5. The drum 93 is mounted for free movementon the shaft 51, an annular flange 95 being spaced from end wall 93a ofthe drum. 20 This flange 95 is integral with the drum. Actuation of theflange 95 and drum is accomplished by the provision of a shifting collar95, which is made in two halves, grooved to fit over flange 95, andbolted together by suitable securing members, 25 this collar 95 being inturn operated by a shifting yoke 91, actuated by suitable levermechanism indicated generally at 91a. From the drum 93 extends a cable98, which passes over sheave 99, thence to a sheave I88 and then back toa sheave 30 corresponding to sheave 99, on the opposite side of theframe. From this sheave, the cable passes around a sheave IIlI locatedbehind sheave I88, and from this last sheave, the cable passes back to,and is secured at, a suitable point on the conveyor frame.

The sheaves I88 and I8I are located on an extending arm I82 of a leverI83, fulcrumed at I84 to the gathering unit A. From the upper end ofthis lever extends a second cable I95 fastened to the front end of thegathering unit, whereby upon actuation of lever I83 by cable 98, thelever is lifted to raise the gathering unit A sufiiciently to enable theplacement of a pony truck thereunder for transportation of the machine.The gathering unit A turns vertically on pivot I85, which issufficiently free to allow a longitudinal tilting of the unit, and alsohorizontally turns on pivot Iflfia.

The pivotal connection I85 comprises a pin I81 passing through bracketsI88 secured beneath. the discharge end of the gathering unit A andpassing through brackets I89, off-set from frame H8 at the loadinghopper I of the loading unit, the frame H8 being horizontally turnableabout pivot IBM.

In addition to actuating the lever I88 as above referred to for liftingthe gathering unit A, the cable 98 is employed to move the machine intoits position of service. To this end, cable 98 is removed from thesheaves 99, I88 and IM and passed around sheaves III and H2, mounted onsuitable supports H3 and IM respectively, the free end of. the cablebeing attached to an anchor post, in a well understood manner, whence,by 5 pulling upon the cable by actuating the drum 93. the machine may bepulled into the material.

Control instrurnentalities for controlling the actuation of the drum 93are desirable, and these instrumentalities include a brake-band II5, one7 end of which is connected at II6 to the lever H8 and which end isprovided with adjustment mechanism ill. The other end of said brake bandis secured to the fulcrum II9 of the lever II 8. It will be understoodthat the lever is ful- 75 crumed at I I9 to bracket I24 and is providedwith a seriesof teeth I2I, engageable by arm I22 pivoted at I23 tobracket 99. The arm I22 interlocks with the teeth I2I on the lever, tohold the lever in desired adjusted position.

One of the advantages oi the present machine lies in its adaptability tohandle material, such as coal, when in large lumps. In coal miningoperations, therefore, the amount or blasting required to shatter theworking face of the coal is materially reducedj In view of the fact thatthe space in which the operations are carried out is frequently verylimited, it sometimes happens that large lumps of coal may become lodgedbetween the loading unit of the machine and the ceiling of the mine roomin which the machine is operating. In order to prevent possible damageor breakage of parts of the machine under such conditions, the loadingunit B is vertically yieldable. To this end the unit B includes asection I32 yieldably interconnected by suitable yieldable hingestructure to the sloping part or section of the unit B, which slopingsection for convenience is generally designated at I33. This yieldablehinge structure includes the hinge or pivotal bearing I29 which ismounted at the end of each side plate 9. It will be understood thatthere is one of these bearings on each side of the machine, each ofwhich bearings is pivoted on a pivot pin I25, fixed in a bracket I24.Each of these brackets I24 is bolted or otherwise secured to the rearsides oi. the slope section I33. Integral with and projecting rearwardlyfrom each bracket I24 is an arm I24a, each arm being bifurcated at itsend for receiving an eye bolt I21. Each of these bolts is secured inposition by a pin I28 which pin nevertheless enables pivotal movement ofthe respective bolts. It will be understood that the plate I5 isprovided with suitable apertures I5a through which the eye bolts I21 arepassed. The eye bolts are threaded at their lower ends, and serve assupports for the springs I26, these springs being held in position onthe bolts I21 by cooperation oi a washer I3I and nut I30 with the plateI5. The tension of the spring I26 is adjusted by means oi the nuts I39,the springs yieldably cushioning the section I32 and section of the unitB under vertical impacts which may be impressed thereon. In addition tobeing vertically yieldable, the entire unit B is mounted for verticalpivotal move ment so that the ends may be adjusted to varying heightsduring operating conditions. The entire unit is therefore turnablymounted through bearings I34 suitably mounted on the truck frame.

It will be noted from the drawings that section 0, being a comparativelylight section, is provided with reinforcing means adjacent its pivotend. These reinforcing means include a filling plate I35 which fills thespace between the bottom web I'Ia of plates I1, and angles I36, whichangles reinforce the frame of section C throughout the length of therear part of the section. Between the reinforcing plates b and the heavyconveyor trough section I6a are positioned the filler plates I31 whichassist in supporting the segmental plate 5. Between the side plates I49of the trough and plates I1 are filler plates I49a. It will beunderstood that plate 5 is a part of section I32, while plates 5b andI31 are parts of section C. The plates 5a and 5b are beveled at theirrear ends to prevent obstruction to the travel of the conveyor chain.The plate 5b has a forward aperture I38 having a key way I38a therein,the aperture I38 receiving a pivot pin at the pivot point D. This pin,indicated at I39, has a hardened head I43, which is covered with a capI, this cap being mounted in plate A and being flush with the uppersurface thereof.

openings I42 extend through the plates in and 511, these openingsforming outlets through which is material collecting between the plates5 and 52) may pass. Splice platm I43 are provided for splicing togetherplates 4 and 5, and are beveled at I44 for pushing the said materialthrough openings I42 during movement oi! section C.

Welded to the bottom of the guide 42b, which is a continuation ofguide42, are the plates I45 which act on the conveyor flights 3| toremove adhering material therefrom.

Supported on the web He is the shoe I49 upon which the conveyor chainrides, this shoe taking the downward thrust of the conveyor chain at thebend thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, thus preventing tendency ofthe chain to straighten with attendant likelihood of displacement,thereby relieving excessive strain on the guides. For centering theconveyor'chain as it passes on to the head sprocket I41, are bars I48mounted on the side plates I49 01 theconveyor trough of section C.

It will be seen also that the top guides 34 of sections I32 and I33terminate substantially at the pivot point D, and are not continued onto section C. Section C, however, is provided with the bottom guides4217, which register with the bottom guides 42, which latter areinterrupted at the pivot D and then continue beneath sec- I tion I32, asguides 420, until the sloping section I33 is reached, where the bottomguides terminate, the fiights 3| resting on the bottom trough I50 ofsection I33.

Referring now to Fig. 5, it may be noted that the sheave H is threadedat I5I to receive a nut I52 which abuts the spacer 12, so that excessivewear on any of the associated parts of the mechanism mounted on shaft 51may be taken up by suitable manipulation of the nut I52. This nut isprovided with peripheral recesses I53 into which a key I54 may be passedand bolted to the sheave as indicated at I55, thereby locking the nut indesired position.

When the clutch 9| is actuated, thrusts are transmitted to thrustbearings I56 and I51. Thrust bearing I56 is held in place betweenbearing 51b and housing I53, the latter being secured in position by thekey 69. The bearing I51 is held in position between the Shifting collar95 and flange 95 of the drum 93, the collar 96 being provided with theannular flange I59 for engaging the bearing I 51.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in thedetails and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended, and Iwish therefore not to be restricted to the precise construction hereindisclosed.

The mounting and operating apparatus for the main conveyor unit and thegathering unit, shown in Figs. 1, 1a and 5, are disclosed and claimed inmy Patents N0. 1,997,589 issued April 16, 1935, for an Improvement inmaterial handling mechanism; No. 1,997,591 issued April 16, 1935, for anImprovement in material handling mechanism; and No. 1,997,590, issuedApril 16, 1935, for an Improvement in material handling mechanism; andin the patent of Edward G. Lewis, No. 1,997,- 592, issued April 16,1935, for an Improvement in material handling mechanism.

Having thus described and shown an embodi- 9,047,589. ment or myinvention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent 01- theUnitedStates is:

1. Material handling mechanism comprising the combination 01' a pair oftroughs each including side and bottom walls, one of the troughs beingdisposed relative to the other to deliver to an adjacent receiving end.or the other, one of the said troughs being mounted for pivotal movementabout an axis at its end adjacent the other trough, there being a gapbetween the adjacent ends of the side walls of the two troughs to permitswinging movement of the pivoted trough relative to the remainder,auxiliary wall elements extending between the respective side walls oi.the troughs in continuous close engagement therewith, mounting means formounting the said auxiliary wall elements on the side walls of one ofthe troughs, the adjacent ends of the side walls of the adjacent troughbeing bent into engagement with the said auxiliary wall elements tomaintain the said close engagement of the auxiliary elements with theside walls to guide material from one trough to the other in all oftheir relative angular positions.

2. Material handling mechanism comprising the combination of a pair oftroughs each including side and bottom walls, one of the troughs beingdisposed relative to the other to deliver to an adjacent receiving endof the other, one of which troughs is mounted for pivoted movement aboutan axis at its end adjacent the other trough, there being a gap betweenthe adjacent ends of the side walls of the twotroughs to permit swingingmovement of the pivoted trough relative to the other trough, auxiliarywall elements joining the respective side walls of the troughs, andyieldable means for pressing upon the said auxiliary wall elementswhereby the latter form guides for material moving from one section tothe other in all of the relative angular positions of the troughs.

3. Material handling mechanism comprising the combination of a pair oftroughs each including side and bottom walls, one of the troughs beingdisposed relative to the other to deliver to an adjacent receiving endof the other, one of the said troughs having a section thereof mountedfor pivotal movement about an axis at its end adjacent the remainder ofthe trough, there being a gap between the adjacent ends of the sidewalls of the sections to permit swinging movement of the pivoted sectionrelative to the remainder,

auxiliary wall elements extending between the ing side and bottom walls,one of the troughs being disposed relative to the other to deliver to anadjacent receiving end of the other, one of the troughs being mountedfor pivotal movement about an axis at its end adjacent the other trough,there being a gap between the adjacent ends of the side walls of the twotroughs to permit swinging movement of the pivoted trough relative tothe other, auxiliary wall elements bridging the respective side walls ofthe troughs, means securing the auxiliary wall elements at one end tothe end ofa side wall of one of the troughs, the said auxiliary wallelements overlapping the side walls of the other trough, and springmeans associated with the said auxiliary wall elements continuouslypressing the latter against the side walls of the other trough forforming guides for the material passing from one trough to the other inall of the relative angular positions of the troughs.

5. Material handling mechanism comprising the combination of a pair oftroughs each including side and bottom walls, one of the troughs beingdisposedrelative to the other to deliver to an adjacent receiving end ofthe other, one of said troughs being mounted for pivotal movement aboutan axis at its end adjacent the other'trough, there being a gap betweenthe adjacent ends of the side walls of the two troughs to permitswinging movement of the pivoted trough relative to the other, auxiliarywall elements extending between the respective side walls of thetroughs, means for mounting the auxiliary wall elements on one end ofthe side walls of one of the troughs, the adjacent ends of the sidewalls of the other trough being bent to maintain close'engagement withthe auxiliary wall elements, whereby the lat ter will guide materialfrom one trough to the other in all of their relative angular positions.

6. Material handling mechanism comprising the combination of a pair oftroughs each including side and bottom walls, one of the troughs beingdisposed relative to the other to deliver to an adjacent receiving endof the other, one of the troughs being mounted for pivotal movementabout an axis at its end adjacent the other trough, there being a gapbetween the adjacent ends of the side walls of the two troughs to permitswinging movement of the pivoted trough relative to the other, auxiliarywall elements joining the respective side walls of the troughs, meansfor mounting of the said auxiliary wall elements on the side walls ofone of the troughs, the said auxiliary wall elements being shaped tooverlap the ends of the side walls of the other trough, in slidingrelation therewith, and yieldable means associated with the auxiliaryWall elements to maintain the latter in material guiding relation to theside walls of the other trough in all angular relations of the troughs.

'7. Material handling mechanism comprising the combination of a pair oftroughs each including side and bottom walls, one of the troughs beingdisposed relative to the other to deliver to an adjacent receiving endof the other, one of the troughs being mounted for pivotal movementabout an axis at its end adjacent the other trough, there being a gapbetween the adjacent ends of the side walls of the troughs to permitswinging movement of the pivoted trough relative to the other, auxiliarywall elements joining the respective side walls of the troughs, meansfor mounting the auxiliary wall elements on the side walls of one of thetroughs, the said means including a bracket mounted on each of the sidewalls of the trough, lugs pivotally mounted on the end of the side walland connected with a respective auxiliary wall element, and a springmounted between the bracket and the lugs, the auxiliary wall elementsoverlapping the adjacent side walls of the other trough in slidingrelation therewith, the said springs maintaining the auxiliary wallelements in material guidingrelation to the side walls of the said othertrough in all angular relations of the trough.

8. Material handling mechanism comprising in combination a pair oftroughs, including side and connected for swinging movement, there being'a gap between adjacent ends of the side walls of the sections to permitrelative swinging movement of the troughs, auxiliary wall means forbridging the gap between the side walls, and pressure devices formaintaining the said auxiliary wall means in material guiding relationto the side walls in all angular relations of the troughs.

9:. Material handling mechanism comprising -a sectional trough includingside and bottom walls, at least one of the sections being turnablelaterally relative to the remaining sections, there being gaps betweenthe side walls of the sections, closure members carried by the sectionsfor bridging the gaps, and pressure means for continuously maintainingthe closure members in material guiding relation to the side walls ofthe sections in all angular relations thereof.

10. Material handling mechanism comprising a sectional trough, includingside and bottom walls, at least one of the sections being turnablelaterally relative to the remaining sections, there being gaps betweenthe side walls of the sections, closure members carried by the turnablesection for bridging the, said gaps, and yieldable pressure means forcontinuously maintaining the closure members in material guidingrelation to the side walls in all angular relations thereof.

11. Material handling mechanism comprising a sectional trough includingside and bottom walls, at least one of the sections being turnable in anare relative to the remaining sections, there being gaps between theside walls of the sections, an arcuate track beneath the turnablesection for supporting the section, and along which the section runs,closure members for bridging the said gaps, mounting means for theclosure members on the walls of one of the sections, the said closuremembers being in slidable engagement with the walls of the othersection, the said mounting means including spring actuatedins'trumentalities engaging the closure members for maintaining the saidmembers in material guiding engagement with the walls of the sections inall angular relations thereof.

12. Material handling mechanism comprising the combination with troughmembers pivotally interconnected for angular adjustments about avertical axis, of a conveyor chain in the trough having winged links,guide devices for the conveyor chain positioned beneath the troughmembers, said guide devices providing tracks adapted to support saidwinged links, there being a gap in the guide devices beneath the troughmembers adjacent the pivotal interconnection therebetween, and meansintermediate the said gap for engaging the conveyor chain as it passesthrough the said gap for guiding of the conveyor chain to the guides.

13. Material handling mechanism comprising the combination with troughmembers interconnected for relative angular displacement about avertical axis, devices for interconnecting the trough members, conveyingmeans operating through the trough members having lateral flanges,guides for the conveying instrumcntalities positioned below the troughmembers, said guides having flanges cooperating with said firstmentioned flanges to support said conveying means, there being a gapbetween the lower guides adjacent the devices interconnecting the troughmembers, and supplemental guiding means act- ,ing upon the conveyingmeans as the latter pass through the gap.

14. Material handling mechanism comprising the combination of troughmembers interconnected for relative angular displacement about avertical axis, devices for interconnecting the trough members, aconveyor operating through the trough members, guides for the conveyor,certain of the guides having a gap therebetween adjacent the connectingdevices, and supplemental guiding means including a plate arranged toengage the conveyor for supporting the same as it passes through thegap, thereby preventing the conveyor from sagging sufllciently to becomedisengaged from the guides during passage of the conveyor through thegap.

15. Material handling mechanism comprising a trough divided intopivotally interconnected sections, side walls for the sections, asegmental base on one of the sections, an arcuate track on the base,means on the cooperating section engaging the track to enable thesections to be swung horizontally to each other, yieldable platesinterconnecting the side walls, the side walls on one of the sectionsdefining abutments for the yieldable plates, and mechanism forcontinuously pressing the yieldable plates into engagement with theabutments in all angular positions of the sections for preventing lossof material between the side walls when the sections are angularlydisplaced.

16. Material handling mechanism comprising a trough divided intopivotally interconnected sections, each embracing side walls, yieldablemeans interconnecting the side walls, and resilient mechanism engagingthe yieldable means for pressing the latter into continuous closeengagement with the side walls in all relative positions of thesections.

17. Material handling mechanism comprising a trough divided intopivotally interconnected sections each embracing side walls, the sidewalls of one section terminating short of the other section, platessupplementing the side walls and spaced therefrom, the said plates beingbent intermediate their lengths into vertically up standing portions andterminating in outwardly extending abutments adjacent the'adjacentsection, auxiliary plates closing the spaces between the supplementaryplates and the side walls, yieldable means interconnecting the sidewalls of the adjacent section and the supplementary plates, and meansfor maintaining the yieldable means in continuous close engagement withthe abutments on the supplementary plates in all relative positions ofthe sections.

18. Material handling mechanism comprising a trough divided intopivotally interconnected sections, each embracing side walls, yieldableplates interconnecting the side walls and mechanism for pressing theyieldable plates intocontinuous close engagement with the side walls inall relative positions of the sections, the said means including a hingemounted on each yieldable plate, a retaining pin connected to the hinge,a spring on the retaining pin, and a supporting bracket on the sidewalls of the next section for supporting the retaining pin and formingan abutment.

. discharge unit to the loading unit to enable Lelaiii] ,fiili providehorizontaladjustment of said discharge unit relative to said truck, theloading unit including sections vertically yieldable relative to eachother, and a continuous conveyor chain extending through the units andhaving links piv- "otally interconnected in both horizontal'and verticaldirections to enable the chain to adjust it-' seli'to any variation inposition between the various parts of the conveyor.

20. Material handling mechanism comprising, in combination, a conveyorunit including pivotally interconnected sections, reinforcing platesbeneath the sections and extending therebeneath suficiently to'preventbuckling of the sections under weight of material being conveyed,openings through the plates for enabling material collecting thereon topass, and means for pushing material through the openings duringrelative movement between the sections.

21.'Material handling mechanism comprising, in combination, a conveyorunit including pivotally interconnected sections, reinforcing platesbeneath the sections, the said plates being provided with openings forenabling material collecting thereon to be discharged through theplates, and splice plates arranged to push the said materials throughthe openings during movement between the sections.

22. Material handling mechanism comprising, in combination, a conveyorunit including pivotally interconnected sections, reinforcing platesbeneath the sections,- the said plates being provided with openings forenabling material collecting thereon to be discharged through theplates, and beveled splice plates arranged to push the said materialsthrough the openings during movement between the sections.

23. Material handling mechanism comprising, in combination, a conveyorunit including pivotally interconnected sections, a conveyor chainadapted to operate through the sections, a pivot mounting for thesections, and a cap for the pivot mounting forming an uninterruptedsurface for the bottom of the sections.

24. Material handling mechanism comprising, in combination, a conveyorunit including interconnected sections pivotal about a vertical axis, aconveyor chain adapted to operate through the sections and adapted toreturn therebeneath, guides for the conveyor chain, said guides having agap therebetween beneath the pivotal interconnection between thesections, and an abutment plate beneath the gap adapted to be engaged bythe chain for retaining proper alignment of the chain whereby it will beproperlydirected from one of the guides to the other of the guides asthe chain passes through the gap.

25. In a conveyor, the combination with 'a. continuous trough dividedinto three interconnected sections, one of which constitutes a dischargesection, of a truck for supporting said trough as a unit, pivotal meansinterconnecting two of said sections for relative movement about avertical axis, pivotal means interconnecting two of said sections forrelative movement about a horizontal axis, and pivotal meansinterconnecting said en- .tire trough to said truck for pivotalmovement.

26. In a conveyor, the combination with a continuous trough divided intothree interconnected sections, one of which constitutes a dischargesection, of a. truck for supporting said trough as a unit, pivotal meansinterconnecting two of said .sections for relative movement about avertical tive horizontal adjustment therebetween and to axis, pivotalmeans interconnecting two of said sections for relative movement about ahorizontal axis, and pivotal means interconnecting said entire trough tosaid truck tor pivotal movement about a vertical axis.

27. In a conveyor, the combination with a continuous trough divided intoa plurality of interconnected sections one of which comprises adischarge section, of a support for said trough, pivotal meansinterconnecting two sections for relative movement about a'verticalaxis, and pivotal means interconnecting said entire trough to saidsupport for pivotal movement as a unit about a vertical axis.

'28. In a conveyor, the combination with a continuous trough dividedinto three sections one of which constitutes a discharge section, of anendless draft chain disposed along a central line of said trough anduniversally pivotal, a truck for supporting said trough, pivotal meansinterconnecting said discharge section to another one of said sectionsfor horizontal pivotal movement relative'thereto and relative to saidtruck, and pivotal means interconnecting the third section to said othersection for relative movement about a horizontal axis.

29. In a loading machine, the combination with a truck, of a conveyormounted on said truck for pivotal movement as a unit with respectthereto about a vertical axis, said conveyor comprising an endlessmaterial moving means which travels in a continuous trough, said troughcomprising three sections, two of which are relatively pivotal about ahorizontal axis and form a loading unit, means for resilientlyconnecting said two sections of the loading unit, the third sectioncomprising a discharge unit which is mounted for pivotal movement abouta vertical axis with respect to both said loading unit and said truck,whereby material may be discharged to either side of said truck eitherby pivoting said conveyor as a unit about a vertical axis with respectto said truck or by pivoting said discharge unit about a vertical axisrelative to said truck.

30. In a loading machine, the combination with a truck, of a conveyormounted on said truck for pivotal movement as a unit with respectthereto about a vertical axis, said conveyor comprising an endlessconveyor chain having links pivotally interconnected in both horizontaland vertical directions which travels in a continuous trough, saidtrough comprising three sections, two of which are relatively pivotalabout ahorizontal axis and form a loading unit, means for resilientlyconnecting said two sections of the loading unit, the third sectioncomprising a discharge unit which is mounted for pivotal movement abouta vertical axis with respect to both said loading unit and said truck,whereby material may be discharged to either side of-said truck eitherby pivoting said conveyor as a unit about a vertical axis with respectto said truck or by pivoting said discharge unit about a vertical axisrelative to said truck.

31. In a loading machine, the combination with a truck, of a conveyormounted on said truck for pivotal movement as a unit with respectthereto about a vertical axis, said conveyor comprising an endlessmaterial moving means which travels in a continuous trough, said troughcomprising three sections, two of which are relatively pivotal about ahorizontal axis and form a loading unit, the third section comprising adischarge unit which is mounted for pivotal movement about a verticalaxis with respect to both said loading unit and said truck, wherebymaterial may be discharged to either side of said truck either bypivoting said conveyor as a unit about a vertical axis with respect tosaid truck or by pivoting said discharge unit about a vertical axisrelative to said truck.

32. In a loading machine, the combination with a truck adapted to travelin a mine, of a conveyor on said truck for pivotal movement as a unitwith respect thereto about a vertical axis passing intermediate the endsthereof whereby both the material receiving end and the discharge end ofsaid conveyor may be positioned laterally of said truck, said conveyorcomprising two sections which are connected for relativeiy pivotalmovement about a vertical axis and a continuous material moving meansfor said sections. a

33. In a loading machine, the combination with a truck, of a materialreceiving and discharging conveyor mounted on said truck for pivotalmovement as a unit with respect thereto about a vertical axis passingintermediate its ends whereby both ends of said conveyor may projectlaterally of said truck, said conveyor comprising a material receivingsection and a discharge section and a continuous material moving means,said sections being connected for relatively pivotal movement about avertical axis, and a gathering conveyor pivoted about a vertical axiswith respect to the material receiving section and adapted to gathermaterial and feed it to said material receiving section.

NILS D. LEVIN.

